The Audio-Technica AT-LP120 is a mid-range

direct-drive turntable A direct-drive turntable is one of the three main phonograph designs currently being produced. The other styles are the belt-drive turntable and the idler-wheel type. Each name is based upon the type of coupling used between the platter of th ...

introduced in 2009 by the

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

ese audio equipment manufacturer Audio-Technica. The AT-LP120 was intended to be a viable replacement for the long-running

Technics SL-1200 The Technics SL-1200 is a series of direct-drive turntables introduced in October 1972 by Matsushita Electric (now Panasonic Corporation) under the brand name Technics. They are widely recognized as being major influences on the emergence of h ...

series of turntables that was set to be discontinued in 2010. It supports both phono and

line-level Line level is the specified strength of an audio signal used to transmit analog sound between audio components such as CD and DVD players, television sets, audio amplifiers, and mixing consoles. Generally, line level signals sit in the middl ...

output, using a built-in

preamplifier A preamplifier, also known as a preamp, is an electronic amplifier that converts a weak electrical signal into an output signal strong enough to be noise-tolerant and strong enough for further processing, or for sending to a power amplifier a ...

. The turntable also has the ability to dub records directly to a computer in real-time using a

USB Universal Serial Bus (USB) is an industry standard, developed by USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF), for digital data transmission and power delivery between many types of electronics. It specifies the architecture, in particular the physical ...

connection. At the January 2019

Consumer Electronics Show CES (; formerly an initialism for Consumer Electronics Show) is an annual trade show organized by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA). Held in January at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Winchester, Nevada, United States, the event typi ...

, an updated version called the AT-LP120XUSB was announced by Audio Technica. According to the company, the new model includes an improved internal preamp and comes with the company's updated VM95E cartridge.

Similarities to the SL-1200

Since it was designed to mimic the Technics SL-1200 series of turntables, the AT-120 shares many design traits with the older Technics models, including: * Metal construction * Pop-up target light * S-shaped

tonearm A phonograph, later called a gramophone, and since the 1940s a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogue reproduction of sound. The sound vibration waveforms are recorded as corresponding physic ...

* Built-in strobe speed indicator * Quartz speed lock Atlp120

Specifications

References

:* :* (review) :* :*{{cite news , last1=Yu , first1=Justin , title=Audio-Technica LP120-USB review: An all-in-one turntable that digitizes your vinyl collection , url=https://www.cnet.com/reviews/audio-technica-atlp120-professional-turntable-with-usb-review/ , access-date=1 April 2025 , work= CNET , date=2015-10-22 , language=en Products introduced in the 21st century Turntables